Daley defends lakefront parking fees

May 16, 2009

Mayor Richard Daley on Saturday defended his park board's decision to start charging $1 an hour to park at more than 4,400 spots along the lake that are now free.

The mayor said the new lakefront parking fees are about "revenue and things like that." Chicago Park District officials told the Tribune on Friday the fees are expected to bring in about $700,000 the first year and perhaps as much as $1.5 million in subsequent years after start-up costs are finished.

Retailers were excited about the new parking charge because it will prevent drivers from parking by the lakefront long-term, Daley said after appearing at a restaurant trade show at McCormick Place.

"You turn over cars," he said. "A lot of people park there and they go to work."

By early fall, drivers along the lakefront will feed "pay and display" devices with a credit card or cash and get a receipt they can leave on their windshield.

Responding to reporters' questions, Daley also said the nation's "financial crisis is much more severe than people think it is" and again turned thumbs-down on Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's veto last week of an attempt to cut the sales tax by 1 percentage point.

"You cannot ask the taxpayer [to pay] more out of their pocket," Daley said. "People are getting laid off."

But when asked about the financial impact of starting to charge families seeking free fun for lakefront parking, Daley did not directly answer. He talked again about the need to more quickly turn over cars at metered spots.